Gaseous discharge device



1945- D. w. ABERNATHY GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed Jan'. 22, 1942 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 20, i945 UNITED STATES PA ENT. OFFICE GAISEUS nig er: navicn David W. Abernathy, Chicago. 111., assignor to Products Development, Inc.,

notation of Illinois Chicago, 11]., a cor- Application January 22; 1942, Serial No. 427395 8 Claims. (01. 315-38) This invention relates to gaseous discharge devicesand more particularly to the construction of a gaseous discharge tube adapted to be mounted in an ordinary household outlet. The invenfor either lighting or for violet or other ray treatment of the body and which i capable of production in large quantities at a minimum of cost.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a gaseous discharge device of the character described which will pi ovide for the energization of a discharge tube by means of'high ircquency'oscillations.

Other objects of the invention lie in the construction and arrangement of the parts and cir cult of the device whereby much off the conventional apparatus and parts required for devices of this typeiseliminated. 1 1

With the foregoing and other objects in view,

bodyins my invention associated with a convenma socket base.

Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic median sectional view taken through the device, with portions thereof being shown in elevation.

The refcrencecharacter I 0 designates a conventional shell of metal adapted to be screwed into the ordinary volt A. C. circuit. The

upper edge of the shell i0 is formed as an upstanding flange as shown at H and is adapted to accommodate the envelope I2 which is, in the' embodiment shown, of lead glas coated upon its interior with a fluorescent substance. The bottom of the shell iii is. stopped on by means of a 7 is sealed in place by reason of the cement i6 which fills the space between the inner face of the so shell wall and the envelope II.

The glass envelope It is provided with electrodes constituting same a triode. Hie filamom; I! is fixed within the bottom plug iii of the envelope I! and is adapted to be operated ,by 115 volts A. C. One lead thereof is connected to the button ll while. the other lead is soldered to the shell II at it as shown.

The triode is provided with the usual grid i9, and plate 20, both of which may be provided with 39 leads extending from the top of the envelope it.

which will appear as the description proceeds, the;

invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the Y accompanying drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of'the structure may be made without'de'parting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the inven The cathode lead 2i is also shown extending from the top of the envelope I! for convenience.

About the inner face of the shell I 0 I provide.

a narrow metal strip 22 which may be soldered, welded or screwed into place. The band 22 is provided with a pain. of upstanding support members 23 both electrically and mechanically connectcd thereto. These members llmeet an annular electrode 24 at their uppers ends and elecing of my invention, I have illustrated in the ac- .companying drawing a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, as- I 4 scmbly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawing in which'the same Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a device emcorresponding or similar parts throughout the trically connect saidxelectrode with .the shell.

The annular electrode I. supports the bottom end of a short sealed tube 2! filled with somegas,

such as neon, krypton, argon, 'etc., and a drop or so of mercury. Any'ionizable material may be usedforthispurpose. v

Theupper end of the discharge tube is also provided with an external annular electrode 26 which-Eisconnected by means of thalead 21 through the condenser 28 to the plate 20. The

condenser 28 together with the discharge tube 25 serves as the lead for the output-of the triode. The condenser 28 also serves as a current limiting device for the tube 2|.

biased by means of the grid leak 29' which is connected to the shell It. The grid feed-back condenser assures an out of phase voltage being impressed across the grid and also aids in fixing the bias.

It will be seen from the above description that there is provided an oscillating circuit, the frequency of which is controlled by the inter-electrode capacitances and the capacity of the condensers 28 and 30, and also by the lead induct- An extremely high frequency voltage is consequently set up across the electrodes 24 and 28, which frequency is not aflected by the frequency of the line which feeds the fllament II. The high frequency should be of'the order of 60 megacyclesand' the circuit constants may be so chosen. At this frequency the discharge device wil1 operate due to a complete ionization may be used for treatment of various parts of the body. The gnvelope I! may even be omitted entirely in some cases. I

It will be seen that where my new device is utilized for illumination, the light produced will be steady and uniform in character instead of flickering as is the case with fluorescent illuminating devices whose illumination depends directly upon alternating current lines of low frequency. The stroboscopic effect so deleterious to the vision is by this means eliminated.

The device as described herein can be constructed/cheaply and compactly and marketed as a unit. Multiple contacts, complicated switches,

ballast reactances, and sensitive thermostats, re-.

lays, and the like are eliminated.

It is seen also that complicated attachment fixtures, and the like are eliminated since the entire device may tie screwed into an ordinary lighting socket and operated therefrom. Obviously the base may be of the plug-in type by slight modification.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further' description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined inthe appended claims.

What I claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination in an electric discharge device, a hollow base structure comprising a shell for connection with an'eiectrical outlet and line, a triode disposed substantially completely within tube discharge tube and the electrodes in fixedrelation within said base structure adjacent to said triode.

electrodes one of which is mounted upon said shell and both of which are connected in series with the output of said oscillator, and a gaseous discharge tube disposed between said electrodes, said electrodes comprising annular members surrounding said tube and serving to support same.

3. In an electric discharge device, a metal shell for connection with a household outlet, said shell being equipped with an insulating plug in one end said shell and connected to be energized by said line through said' outlet, means connected be thereof havingan electrical contact member in the center thereof, a triode disposed upon said plug and substantially completely within said shell, the cathode of said triode being connected between said electrical contact member and the shell for energization of said triode, support members of conducting material attached to said shell and connected with an annular electrode, a gaseous discharge tube having one end thereof surrounded by said electrode and being supported thereby, a second electrode surrounding the opposite end of said tube, elements including a plate resistor, a grid leak and a grid feed-back condenser constituting an oscillating system together with said triode and having the output connected across said electrodes.

4. In an electric discharge device, a metal shell for connection with whousehold outlet, said shell being equipped withan insulating plug in one end thereof having an electrical contact member in the center thereof, ,a triode disposed upon said plug and substantially completely within said shell, the cathode of said triode being connected between said electrical contact member and the shell for energization of said triode, support members of conducting material attached to said shell and connected with an annular electrode, a gaseous discharge tube having one end thereof surrounded by said electrode and being supported thereby, a second electrode surrounding the opposite end of said tube, elements including a plate resistor, a grid leak and a-grid feed-back condenser constituting an oscillating system together with said triode and having the output connected across said electrodes and an envelope supported by said shell and adapted to convert emanations from said tube into visible light.

5. In an electric discharge device, a lamp socket, an oscillator tube arranged substantially completely withinsaid socket, an elongated gaseous discharge tube supported by said socket, and electrodes on said gaseous discharge tube, said electrodes being connected in series into the output circuit of said oscillator tube, said electrodes being the only means for supplying energy from said oscillator tube to said gaseous discharge tube. a

6. In an electric discharge device, a lamp socket comprising a metallic shell for connection with an electric line outlet, an oscillator tube, which comprises within a sealed envelope at least a cathode, a plate and one grid, arranged substantially completely within said socket, an electrical connection between said cathode and said metallic shell, an elongated gaseous discharge tube supported by said socket, end electrodes on vsaid gaseous discharge tube, said electrodes beand above said oscillator tube, end electrodes on said gaseous discharge tube; said electrodes being connected in series into the output circuit of said oscillator tube, said end electrodes being the only means for supplying energy from said oscillator tube to said gaseous discharge tube.

8. A combination as defined in claim 1 which includes a. spaced fluorescent envelope mounted on said base structure and enclosing said dis- 10 charge tube and electrodes.

DAVID W. ABERNATHY. 

